Outside Looking In
by StanaTorv
Summary: A look at Booth and Brennan's relationship through the window of the restaurants/diners/bars they frequent. Will contain all season eventually. Season 1 up now
1. Chapter 1

_AN: This piece of fiction will have no dialogue in it. Although in coming chapters I may break down and throw in a line or two. This is merely an observational piece documenting Booth and Brennan's developing relationship through the window of all the restaurants/diners/bars they find themselves in. Most of the first season was set at Wong Fu's so that is where it shall start. This goes without a beta so all mistakes are mine. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: Not mine, wouldn't know what to do if it was. _

**Outside Looking In**

**Season 1**

For years it was always just him sitting on the stool in the restaurant. The weekly chats he had with the proprietor seemed to get longer every time he visited. He never brought anyone with him. This was his place. His sanctuary. The place he could come and not worry about the outside world, to forget death for a moment and just be himself, Seeley Booth.

All that changed one day. Booth found himself loaded with a partner; a scientist, albeit a woman, but a partner and scientist non-the-less. His visits increased from once a week to once a day. He needed to vent, Sid understood that, but he wanted to meet this woman who got the ever-calm Seeley Booth in a twist. It didn't take much arm bending to get Booth to bring her in. He asked her very casually after a busy week at work. She agreed and she came.

At first they would both sit at the bar, enjoying the light conversation they carried, drinking whatever beverage that Sid deemed necessary for the day. They would never stay long, half an hour maximum, keeping a safe distance between them both. This is what they would call their 'We caught another bad guy' celebratory dinner. It continued on for a while, until he decided to invite 'their' team. So, ever so slowly did they move from the bar to a booth. The conversations they had together as a team got longer as did the ones they had together as a duo. Still, the distance between them stayed the same.

It was the same old dance for them, and oh how she did love to dance.

Never did it seem odd that every now and again one or both of them would come in looking battered and bruised. Only then would they allow their guard down a little to allow the other person in. The distance between them at those times closed quite significantly. When things got better though, those figurative walls were built back up again.

Christmas was supposed to be a time for family. Brennan had none, so Booth took it upon himself to introduce his family to her. She may have said she was no good with children, but little Parker Booth took to her like a magnet. She was drawn to the boy as much as he was to her. She knew it wasn't rational to love a child that isn't your own, but with Parker, it seemed that it was hard not to.

So once again the once a week visits to Wong Fu's turned into almost daily occurrences. This time Booth was never alone. He was always joined by a one Doctor Temperance Brennan Ph.D., Forensic Anthropologist extraordinaire. Booth may have not liked the whole idea of that particular partnership in the beginning, but sitting with her, looking back over the past year and the experiences they shared, he knew that theirs would be a friendship that would stand the strains of every day life as well as whatever the bad guys would throw at them.

He knows who she is.

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_2__nd__ AN: Just a little reference to the movie Serenity there. Temperance kind of reminds me of River Tam in a socially awkward way. A little flighty, smart as hell and could kick anyone's butt. _

_Please review and let me know what you think._


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: With this chapter I have decided to expand a little from just the eating establishments mainly because so much happened in Season 2. So I kinda recapped the season and also put the diner scenes in. _

_Well enjoy!_

**Season 2 **

The second year into their partnership brought change into their dynamic. It came in the form of Booth's ex-girlfriend, Doctor Camille Saroyan. Brennan's new boss. Yes, in the beginning of the partnership Brennan's ex also came to town, but he hurriedly left soon after. It was easy to see that this new influence brought tension into the fold, especially at the start. The conversations were cut shorter and excuses became lamer. It took the return of a crazed serial killer to get them all back on track and into a closer and more functional team.

When one change balanced itself out, another spanner was thrown into the works. He also had a name, Special Agent Timothy Sullivan, Sully to those who knew him. Booth was jealous, Gordon Gordon could see it, hell, and even Booth could see it. He just wanted to see her happy, and if happiness was with Sully, who was he to interfere? Maybe that's why he told her to go with Sully. The relief Booth felt when Brennan didn't get on that boat was clearly written on his face. Brennan knew Booth would never leave her intentionally. The promise of breakfast was a comforting gesture indeed.

Sin City was HOT, and it wasn't just the external temperature of the place. Whoever said Forensic Anthropologists couldn't act or look good in a little black dress was sorely mistaken. The cover was classic Booth and Brennan; it gave them a chance to play it up a little and get to know their own limitations as it was. It seemed, however that the dust and the sand were never too far behind Brennan as she and Hodgins we buried alive by the Gravedigger. Booth stopped at nothing to get them back; he pulled the team together to save them from certain death. At the moment Booth pulled Brennan out of the sand she became _his_ Bones, whether she realised or not, it was a turning point in their working relationship.

Max Keenan may not have been the greatest father in the world but he would stop at nothing to protect his children, even if that included killing the Deputy Director of the FBI. This was a hot topic of discussion between Booth and Bones at the Royal Diner, where the team have made a habit of going since Sid left town. These conversations had a way of drawing the partners closer together. From the inside looking out from at Zack's celebratory doctorate lunch, it almost seemed as of their time to be fused together was then. Sadly, though that wasn't the case.

Sitting in the diner after Booth had been released from hospital following the whole kidnapping ordeal, one song brought Bones and him together. 'Keep on Trying' said it all for them.

_I've been thinking bout all the times you told me_

_You're so full of doubt you just can't let it be_

_But I know if you keep coming back for more _

_And keep on trying_

Cooking dinner for someone who is not your lover or part of your immediate family could be considered a somewhat intimate act. Especially if said meal was the recipient's favourite dish. Gestures such as this plus the frequency of 'guy hugs' shows just how much trust Brennan has for Booth not too break her heart.

"There is more than one kind of family, Bones"

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_AN: Well there was season 2. This was a little harder to write than the first one mainly because I couldn't really remember too many diner scenes in it but also because it was very up and down for the Booth and Bones relationship. Season 3 up when I write it. Again this was written without a Beta, so all mistakes are mine alone. If anyone would like to beta my Bones work please feel free to contact me. _


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So my muse kicked in and I was able to finish this chapter. It's pretty much a sum up of season 3 focusing on the B&B relationship. Hope you all enjoy. And I have no idea when the next chapter will be ready :) Sorry.**

**Please RnR I love all feedback, good and bad, just let me know what you think.**

**All mistakes are mine**

**Season 3**

Year three of Booth and Brennan's partnership brought upheaval and turmoil. A new brand of serial killer was on the prowl and no body was safe. This, combined with their new partners therapy, Brennan's father being on trial and near death experiences, Booth and Bones' life turned a complete one-eighty.

All the talk about 'Pony Play' led to a discussion about breaking the laws of physics. Brennan, as literal as she is, concluded that it was impossible for two beings to inhabit the same space. Yes, that is true, but to Booth that wasn't the concept he was getting at. He reasoned with her that it may not be physically possible, but it was mentally and emotionally possible when two people are so in love that it can happen. Brennan may not have understood it completely, but maybe one day it would happen to her and realisation will dawn on her.

Wonder Woman, Diana Princess of Themyscira_, 'beautiful as Aphrodite, wise as Athena, swifter than Hermes, and stronger than Hercules'_. Yes, Brennan decided to dress up for Halloween. She definitely looked the part. Who knew that Wonder Woman was afraid of snakes? Booth didn't. Sure, he looked like a squint at the start of the night, but by the end he looked like Clark Kent. He was Brennan's Superman that night. He saved her life, but, as she put it, it was a very bad date.

High School was a different experience for everyone. For Booth finding a humiliating story to tell Bones was rather difficult. For Temperance, the school geek, those experiences helped to shape her into the person she is today. She didn't want to be Brainy Smurf, she wanted to be Smurfette. Booth was able to set her straight, by telling her that _"Smurfette was stupid and shallow who only had her looks…you're better than that, you have your looks and a whole lot more."_ She couldn't argue with that logic.

Peru is in Africa, right? Spending Christmas on an anthropological dig weren't the best plans Brennan could have made. She did, however, want her father to have the best Christmas possible while he was in jail. Getting Caroline Julian to help was like pulling teeth, there was always a catch with that woman. Organising a conjugal trailer for the family was no easy task, so she needed to be compensated, right? So, apparently, feeling 'puckish' and blackmailing is the only way to get Booth and Brennan to kiss under the mistletoe. Five steamboats was the required, she got a whole flotilla. Although, why would kissing your totally hot partner be likened to kissing your brother? Booth knew the value of spending time with family at Christmas, so he organised a tree for Bones and lit it up outside the window of the trailer. He saw the look of gratitude and shock on his partners face, it was worth the time and money spent, and even Parker enjoyed the moment.

'_Phalanges, phalanges, dancing phalanges.'_ Temperance 'I'm never having children' Brennan is good with babies. Booth thought so when the pair had to take custody of little Andy, whose mother was murdered. Although elephants aren't purple, Brennan and Booth grew attached to the little guy, so much so that when his rightful guardians were found, Brennan still paid for all his impending medical costs for his disability.

Max Keenan's trial was a test for the partners and the team. While Brennan was on the defence her team was made to stand against her on the prosecution. They had to do what they had to do. Booth, as the arresting officer, had a hard time dealing with the fact he had to go against his partner, and best friend. Brennan didn't make it easy for him as she went so far as putting the idea in the jury's heads that she could have killed the Deputy-Director of the FBI. Because of this, Booth enlisted the help of Dr. Sweets to support with their partnership, to help get them back on track and work better together. They weren't to know that Sweets would later psychologically experiment on them.

Booth had no idea Bones was telling the truth when she said she could sing. That was until the night of karaoke at the Checker Box. She was letting herself go and throwing her all into the performance, that was until Pam Nunan, aka Booth's stalker, showed up with a gun. She wanted Booth to look at her the way he looks at Temperance. Pam wanted to kill her. If it wasn't for Booth stepping in front of Brennan and taking the bullet, she would have killed her, but instead Bones shot her. The whole team was shocked, and Brennan was trying desperately to keep him conscious.

Then came Booth's funeral. Brennan did not want to go. She refused. Angela wouldn't give up. So she went. Found out he wasn't dead. Knocked out the guy attacking Booth. Proceeded to punch Booth's lights out.

The Gormagon cannibalistic serial killer was a constant part of the whole team's lives that year. Every which way they turned he seemed to pop up. He even managed to infiltrate into their lab by recruiting one of their own. Brennan took Zack's betrayal the hardest. She was his mentor. She felt as if she never gave Zack anything physical like all the others had and felt guilty. Booth pointed out that she gave him something great; a family. Brennan was still dealing with the aftermath of Booth's sudden 'resurrection' when this whole mess was thrust upon her. So, when she found out Sweets had played on her emotions with the whole 'death' incident, she was not happy at all, and threatened him if he ever did it again.

One thing they learned, though, was that they were the centre of this 'family' and the centre must hold.


End file.
